UAE Free Zones Compared
All 20 major UAE free zones with real starting costs, visa capacity, and best-use cases. No sponsored rankings, sorted by starting cost.
20+
FREE ZONES TRACKED
AED 4,888
CHEAPEST STARTING COST
AED 80,000
PREMIUM STARTING COST
7
EMIRATES COVERED
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Sort by:
| Zone | Emirate | Starting Cost | Max Visas | Best For | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ajman Free Zone | Ajman | AED 4,888 | 10+ | Budget startups, Trading | View → |
| UAQ Free Trade Zone | Umm Al Quwain | AED 5,500 | 6+ | Budget startups, Small trading | View → |
| SHAMS | Sharjah | AED 5,750 | 6+ | Media, Freelancers | View → |
| SPC Free Zone | Sharjah | AED 5,750 | 7+ | Publishing, Media | View → |
| Fujairah Creative City | Fujairah | AED 6,200 | 6+ | Media, Freelancers | View → |
| RAKEZ | Ras Al Khaimah | AED 6,500 | 30+ | Manufacturing, E-commerce | View → |
| Hamriyah Free Zone | Sharjah | AED 10,500 | 50+ | Industrial, Oil & gas services | View → |
| Dubai South | Dubai | AED 11,500 | 30+ | Aviation, Logistics | View → |
| Meydan | Dubai | AED 12,500 | 12+ | SMEs, Consultancies | View → |
| IFZA | Dubai | AED 12,900 | 50+ | Services, Consulting | View → |
| SAIF Zone | Sharjah | AED 14,500 | 50+ | Aviation, Logistics | View → |
| twofour54 | Abu Dhabi | AED 15,000 | 30+ | Media, Content production | View → |
| KIZAD | Abu Dhabi | AED 18,000 | 200+ | Manufacturing, Industrial | View → |
| DWTC | Dubai | AED 22,000 | 50+ | Events, Exhibitions | View → |
| DDA | Dubai | AED 25,000 | 100+ | Tech, Media | View → |
| DAFZA | Dubai | AED 28,000 | 100+ | Aviation, Logistics | View → |
| JAFZA | Dubai | AED 30,000 | 500+ | Logistics, Import/Export | View → |
| DMCC | Dubai | AED 34,000 | 100+ | Trading, Commodities | View → |
| ADGM | Abu Dhabi | AED 65,000 | 150+ | Financial services, Family offices | View → |
| DIFC | Dubai | AED 80,000 | 200+ | Financial services, Fintech | View → |
How to pick a UAE free zone
The “best” free zone depends on three things: your industry, your budget, and whether you need physical infrastructure (warehouse, industrial land, port access).
MEDIA & CREATIVE
Freelancer-friendly, media-activity licenses.
Still not sure which zone?
Free 15-min call with a UAE business setup advisor. No commitment. We'll narrow it to 1–2 zones based on your business.